- Joined
- Jun 28, 2010
- Messages
- 48,132
- Name
- Burger man
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10133696/why-josh-gordon-nfl-best-wr
Aqib Talib is not an easy guy to burn.
One of the premier cornerbacks in the league this season, Talib of the New England Patriots has defended or intercepted 1.5 passes per game, best among any player with at least five games played.
Talib's 2013 résumé includes limiting some of the top weapons in the NFL. A.J. Green, Vincent Jackson, Steve Smith, Jimmy Graham and Demaryius Thomas all failed to reach five catches or 62 yards receiving against the Patriots, largely because of Talib.
His assignment for much of this past Sunday was Browns receiver Josh Gordon, the newly minted first player in NFL history to record back-to-back games with at least 200 receiving yards, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Gordon vs. Talib was a compelling matchup within the game, and it was largely a draw at halftime.
At 1:37 of the third quarter, that was no longer the case. Gordon's outside-in slant route created almost 2 yards of separation between him and Talib. Gordon turned a 9-yard Jason Campbellthrow into an 80-yard touchdown, highlighting every facet of why Gordon is currently the best receiver in the league -- especially considering with whom he's playing.
Why Gordon is the best
Gordon's 127.3 yards per game average is the highest in NFL history among players with at least nine games played. He leads the league with 1,400 receiving yards despite having been suspended for the first two games of the season.
Josh Gordon among NFL's elite
2013 NFL season
CategoryStatisticNFL Rank
Yards PG127.31st
Yds/Target11.91st
YAC/Rec8.31st
YA Contact/Rec2.82nd*
*Calvin Johnson, 2.8
Gordon has 24 receptions of at least 20 yards, four more than anyone else. His 80-yard touchdown against the Patriots was no isolated incident, as Gordon's seven touchdowns of at least 20 yards ties Antonio Brown for the league lead. Only 11 other players have even half of that.
The Browns certainly have needed to throw. They have run 183 plays in the fourth quarter while trailing, sixth most in the league. As a result, Gordon also leads the league in fourth-quarter receiving yards (439). Only Jerricho Cotchery has more touchdown catches when his team is trailing (seven) than Gordon (six).
It certainly isn't Gordon's fault his team is trailing, but he has reaped the benefits -- a feat made all the more impressive by the shortcomings of his teammates.
Lackluster play from teammates
Gordon is the only receiver in the top 50 in receiving yards who has had at least 20 targets from three quarterbacks this season (Brandon Weeden, Campbell and Brian Hoyer). Browns quarterbacks have completed 60.2 percent of targets to Gordon this season, a higher percentage than to all other players (60.1) despite Gordon's average target being 7.5 yards deeper than everyone else's.
For comparison's sake, look at the quarterbacks for Gordon, and some of the league's top receivers when targeting each player's supporting cast (chart below): Brandon Marshall, A.J. Green, Demaryius Thomas, Vincent Jackson, Larry Fitzgerald, Dez Bryant, Calvin Johnson, Pierre Garcon, Antonio Brown and Andre Johnson.
QBs Targeting Non-Marquee WRs
2013 NFL season
TeamComp pctYds/Att
Denver Broncos68.97.9
Dallas Cowboys65.86.8
Arizona Cardinals65.37.5
Chicago Bears64.87.4
Cincinnati Bengals64.26.8
Pittsburgh Steelers62.36.7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers60.45.6
Detroit Lions59.46.7
Washington Redskins57.86.7
Houston Texans57.46.1
Cleveland Browns55.15.1
It's not just the basic stats, either. Browns quarterbacks overthrow or underthrow 21 percent of non-Gordon targets, second worst in that data set despite having the lowest average throw distance on those passes (6.1 yards downfield).
Browns quarterbacks have posted a 36.2 Total QBR this season, fourth worst in the league. Only the Bills and Jets (both of whom have rookie quarterbacks), as well as the Jaguars' Chad Henneand Blaine Gabbert, fare worse. Weeden, in particular, ranked dead last this season (24.7, the only QB under 25).
Using his production from Weeden (who started Cleveland's first two games), we can see where Gordon would have ranked if he hadn't been suspended. Weeden has thrown 660 yards and four touchdowns in five games to Gordon this season (132 yards and 0.8 touchdowns per game). An extra 264 yards to Gordon's total would give him 1,664 receiving yards -- or more than 100 yards over Calvin Johnson's 2012 total (1,546) through Week 14.
Johnson had only five touchdowns through 13 games in his exceptional campaign last season. Gordon likely would have had almost twice as many (nine) if he had been active in Weeks 1 and 2.
Cleveland's level of quarterback play has put a lot of pressure on Gordon to make things happen when he does get the ball.
An even better microcosm of Gordon's season was two weeks earlier. In Week 12, the Browns lost 27-11 at home to the Steelers with Weeden and Campbell playing quarterback. The duo combined to go 14-of-17 for 237 yards and a touchdown targeting Gordon but 13-of-35 for 75 yards and an interception targeting everyone else.
The same quarterbacks averaged more than six times as many yards per attempt targeting Gordon (13.9) as the rest of Cleveland's skill players (2.1).
Gordon's gifts
After Gordon caught that pass, a stiff-arm to Talib at the Browns' 36-yard line created more than enough space for pay dirt. The separation Gordon created on his route and with his stiff-arm only increased after the catch (especially in the last 50 yards of the run).
Gordon's 80-yard touchdown was his longest since, well, the previous week. Gordon beat the Jaguars in Week 13 for a 95-yard touchdown catch that had 77 yards after the catch. He made the footrace look easy, splitting rookies Dwayne Gratz and Johnathan Cyprien.
Gratz was clocked at 4.47 in the 40-yard dash, slightly slower than Talib's 4.44 time coming out of Kansas. Neither had a chance at slowing Gordon, who recorded sub-4.4 times before the 2012 supplemental draft. Even assuming a defense has players fast enough to stay with Gordon, actually tackling him is no guarantee. No wide receiver in the league has more plays with at least 20 yards after the catch than Gordon this season (seven).
It's already been mentioned that Gordon leads the league in yards after catch per reception, but the names around him serve to highlight his rare physical tools. The average height and weight of the rest of the top 20 receivers is 6 feet, 202 pounds. Six-foot-3, 225-pound Gordon has exploited the speed-size mismatch all season.
Gordon's 2.8 yards after contact per reception isn't just second-best among wide receivers but also better than any tight end in football. Gordon has gained at least 5 yards after contact on 19 catches this season, among the best among wide receivers (DeSean Jackson has 22, Brian Hartline 19).
The Patriots knew this on Sunday. Talib is one of only six cornerbacks to record at least 400 plays in press coverage this season (435), but he gave Gordon plenty of space off the line playing without safety help. The fact that Talib deviated from a tactical strength was a testament to Gordon's success when pressed at the line.
It didn't work. Gordon finished with his seventh 100-yard game, catching seven passes for 151 yards and that touchdown. Relative to his season, however, Gordon was almost held in check.
Aqib Talib is not an easy guy to burn.
One of the premier cornerbacks in the league this season, Talib of the New England Patriots has defended or intercepted 1.5 passes per game, best among any player with at least five games played.
Talib's 2013 résumé includes limiting some of the top weapons in the NFL. A.J. Green, Vincent Jackson, Steve Smith, Jimmy Graham and Demaryius Thomas all failed to reach five catches or 62 yards receiving against the Patriots, largely because of Talib.
His assignment for much of this past Sunday was Browns receiver Josh Gordon, the newly minted first player in NFL history to record back-to-back games with at least 200 receiving yards, according to Elias Sports Bureau. Gordon vs. Talib was a compelling matchup within the game, and it was largely a draw at halftime.
At 1:37 of the third quarter, that was no longer the case. Gordon's outside-in slant route created almost 2 yards of separation between him and Talib. Gordon turned a 9-yard Jason Campbellthrow into an 80-yard touchdown, highlighting every facet of why Gordon is currently the best receiver in the league -- especially considering with whom he's playing.
Why Gordon is the best
Gordon's 127.3 yards per game average is the highest in NFL history among players with at least nine games played. He leads the league with 1,400 receiving yards despite having been suspended for the first two games of the season.
Josh Gordon among NFL's elite
2013 NFL season
CategoryStatisticNFL Rank
Yards PG127.31st
Yds/Target11.91st
YAC/Rec8.31st
YA Contact/Rec2.82nd*
*Calvin Johnson, 2.8
Gordon has 24 receptions of at least 20 yards, four more than anyone else. His 80-yard touchdown against the Patriots was no isolated incident, as Gordon's seven touchdowns of at least 20 yards ties Antonio Brown for the league lead. Only 11 other players have even half of that.
The Browns certainly have needed to throw. They have run 183 plays in the fourth quarter while trailing, sixth most in the league. As a result, Gordon also leads the league in fourth-quarter receiving yards (439). Only Jerricho Cotchery has more touchdown catches when his team is trailing (seven) than Gordon (six).
It certainly isn't Gordon's fault his team is trailing, but he has reaped the benefits -- a feat made all the more impressive by the shortcomings of his teammates.
Lackluster play from teammates
Gordon is the only receiver in the top 50 in receiving yards who has had at least 20 targets from three quarterbacks this season (Brandon Weeden, Campbell and Brian Hoyer). Browns quarterbacks have completed 60.2 percent of targets to Gordon this season, a higher percentage than to all other players (60.1) despite Gordon's average target being 7.5 yards deeper than everyone else's.
For comparison's sake, look at the quarterbacks for Gordon, and some of the league's top receivers when targeting each player's supporting cast (chart below): Brandon Marshall, A.J. Green, Demaryius Thomas, Vincent Jackson, Larry Fitzgerald, Dez Bryant, Calvin Johnson, Pierre Garcon, Antonio Brown and Andre Johnson.
QBs Targeting Non-Marquee WRs
2013 NFL season
TeamComp pctYds/Att
Denver Broncos68.97.9
Dallas Cowboys65.86.8
Arizona Cardinals65.37.5
Chicago Bears64.87.4
Cincinnati Bengals64.26.8
Pittsburgh Steelers62.36.7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers60.45.6
Detroit Lions59.46.7
Washington Redskins57.86.7
Houston Texans57.46.1
Cleveland Browns55.15.1
It's not just the basic stats, either. Browns quarterbacks overthrow or underthrow 21 percent of non-Gordon targets, second worst in that data set despite having the lowest average throw distance on those passes (6.1 yards downfield).
Browns quarterbacks have posted a 36.2 Total QBR this season, fourth worst in the league. Only the Bills and Jets (both of whom have rookie quarterbacks), as well as the Jaguars' Chad Henneand Blaine Gabbert, fare worse. Weeden, in particular, ranked dead last this season (24.7, the only QB under 25).
Using his production from Weeden (who started Cleveland's first two games), we can see where Gordon would have ranked if he hadn't been suspended. Weeden has thrown 660 yards and four touchdowns in five games to Gordon this season (132 yards and 0.8 touchdowns per game). An extra 264 yards to Gordon's total would give him 1,664 receiving yards -- or more than 100 yards over Calvin Johnson's 2012 total (1,546) through Week 14.
Johnson had only five touchdowns through 13 games in his exceptional campaign last season. Gordon likely would have had almost twice as many (nine) if he had been active in Weeks 1 and 2.
Cleveland's level of quarterback play has put a lot of pressure on Gordon to make things happen when he does get the ball.
An even better microcosm of Gordon's season was two weeks earlier. In Week 12, the Browns lost 27-11 at home to the Steelers with Weeden and Campbell playing quarterback. The duo combined to go 14-of-17 for 237 yards and a touchdown targeting Gordon but 13-of-35 for 75 yards and an interception targeting everyone else.
The same quarterbacks averaged more than six times as many yards per attempt targeting Gordon (13.9) as the rest of Cleveland's skill players (2.1).
Gordon's gifts
After Gordon caught that pass, a stiff-arm to Talib at the Browns' 36-yard line created more than enough space for pay dirt. The separation Gordon created on his route and with his stiff-arm only increased after the catch (especially in the last 50 yards of the run).
Gordon's 80-yard touchdown was his longest since, well, the previous week. Gordon beat the Jaguars in Week 13 for a 95-yard touchdown catch that had 77 yards after the catch. He made the footrace look easy, splitting rookies Dwayne Gratz and Johnathan Cyprien.
Gratz was clocked at 4.47 in the 40-yard dash, slightly slower than Talib's 4.44 time coming out of Kansas. Neither had a chance at slowing Gordon, who recorded sub-4.4 times before the 2012 supplemental draft. Even assuming a defense has players fast enough to stay with Gordon, actually tackling him is no guarantee. No wide receiver in the league has more plays with at least 20 yards after the catch than Gordon this season (seven).
It's already been mentioned that Gordon leads the league in yards after catch per reception, but the names around him serve to highlight his rare physical tools. The average height and weight of the rest of the top 20 receivers is 6 feet, 202 pounds. Six-foot-3, 225-pound Gordon has exploited the speed-size mismatch all season.
Gordon's 2.8 yards after contact per reception isn't just second-best among wide receivers but also better than any tight end in football. Gordon has gained at least 5 yards after contact on 19 catches this season, among the best among wide receivers (DeSean Jackson has 22, Brian Hartline 19).
The Patriots knew this on Sunday. Talib is one of only six cornerbacks to record at least 400 plays in press coverage this season (435), but he gave Gordon plenty of space off the line playing without safety help. The fact that Talib deviated from a tactical strength was a testament to Gordon's success when pressed at the line.
It didn't work. Gordon finished with his seventh 100-yard game, catching seven passes for 151 yards and that touchdown. Relative to his season, however, Gordon was almost held in check.
